Grad dies in Afghanistan war

'92 GHS

Staff Sgt. Matt West, 36, a Gaylord High School (GHS) graduate from the Class of 1992,died Monday in Afghanistan.

According to msnbc.com news services, seven United States troops died Monday in two separate roadside bomb attacks in Afghanistan.

West’s sister, Kristine Willis, from Levering, said the family received notification of her brother’s death Monday from the Department of Defense but did not have any details how West had died. She said he had been deployed to Afghanistan in July.

Willis’ husband, Roger, said this was West’s second deployment to Afghanistan and he had served one tour of duty in Iraq.

According to an Associated Press (AP) report, four additional troops were killed Tuesday from a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan, while the fifth died in a battle with insurgents in the country’s south.

The latest casualties come during a bloody spell which the AP reports have left 19 service members dead since Saturday. The deaths bring August’s total to 55, still fewer than the 66 killed in July, the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion.

West’s sister said the soldier’s mother Marcy, who lives in Odessa, Texas, with her husband, John, will be flying to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware with West’s wife, Carolyn, today (Wednesday) to identify the body and make funeral arrangements. Roger Willis said the family is considering burial at Arlington National Cemetery.

West, who enlisted in the United States Army in 2004, was trained in Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) and stationed prior to deployment at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, Colo., where his wife and three children, sons, Tyler, 4, and Joseph, 3, and daughter, Annalise, 3 months, currently are living.

Kristine Willis made a request Tuesday to the office of Gov. Jennifer Granholm to have the American flag flown at half staff over the state capitol building and across the state in honor of her brother’s service to his country.

Debbie Whipple, spokesperson for Granholm, said as of Tuesday the governor’s office had not received an official announcement from the Department of Defense informing them of Sgt. West’s death but noted it typically can take several days before the information becomes available.

“We don’t do anything until we receive an official list from the military,” Whipple said Tuesday. “Once we do, the family is personally contacted by the governor. This is a big deal for the governor. It’s one of the most difficult parts of her job, but she feels it is important to make a personal call to the family.”

Whipple said the governor’s office will work with the family to decide when the flags will be lowered — typically the day of the fallen soldier’s funeral.

According to the Office of the Governor’s Web site, www.michigan.gov/gov, “When a member of the armed services from Michigan is killed in action, the governor will issue a press release with information about the individual(s) and the day that has been designated for flags to be lowered in his or her honor.”

Roger Willis said after graduating from GHS, his brother-in-law attended Northern Michigan University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1997. After graduation, West lived for a few years in Gaylord.

While attending high school Willis said West had played football and baseball for the GHS Blue Devils. Contact Michael Jones at 732-1111 or michael@gaylordheraldtimes.com